For some people the wearing of smaller conventional contact lenses that only cover a portion of the cornea of the eye may not adequately improve vision and may cause irritation and complications. Therefore, for some, a larger scleral lens that extends over the entire corneal surface and rests on a portion of the sclera (the white portion of the eye) may provide sharper vision especially if damage to the cornea has occurred. The scleral lens can span over the damaged area because of its greater stiffness and durability, and be safe for the eye due to its porosity for oxygen to reach the eye surface. While these larger lenses are more stable in the eye and less likely to accidentally dislodge from the eye, they require additional training and patience to gain comfort to reliably insert the larger diameter scleral lens into the eye. This is of concern because the incorrect insertion of these larger lenses may cause an air bubble or eyelash entrapment between the lens and eye which may irritate and adversely affect the wearer's vision. Incorrect insertion, requires removal of the lens and another try to properly insert the lens which can be discouraging if repeated over and over.
Currently, one common procedure to insert a scleral lens is performed by supporting the lens on one fingertip of one hand, filling the lens with a saline type solution, tilting the head downward by tucking the chin toward the chest and then holding the eyelids open with the other hand and inserting the lens. The eyelids are then released to capture the lens and the fingertip holding the lens is removed. Another method of insertion requires putting two or three fingertips together to form a bipod or tripod to support the lens, adding the saline solution and then inserting the lens with the one hand into the eye while the other hand holds the eyelids open with two fingers spread apart in a “V” shape. For some, these procedures require a level of coordination that is very difficult to attain particularly because the eye has a normal aversion to having anything inserted and making contact with it. Also, the spreading “V” shape is hard to learn so that you do not contaminate your own eyelids with your fingers. In these methods, the fingers are often in the way of a clear view looking down into a mirror; they tend to block a clear view by their required location to hold the scleral lens level with saline filled under the eye just prior to insertion, just when the person inserting the lens needs the best viewing.
There are some insertion tools available such as a lens holder formed as a small cup on the tip of an extended base that may be held in one hand to draw the lens level so saline can be added and held near the eye to insert the lens while the other hand holds the eyelids open. One other type of insertion tool is formed like an O-ring that is placed on top of the fingertip in a horizontal position and the lens is then placed in the O-ring to a level where saline can be added into the lens. The lens on the O-ring is then brought up to the eye for insertion with one hand while the other hand is holding the eyelids open. Another insertion tool uses a ring that may be put around the fingertip. The ring has a small cup to hold the lens and when held level, saline can be added and brought toward the eye for insertion of the lens while the other hand is holding the eyelids open. Another tool is an insertion plunger that allows a user to, if needed, create a small suction through a tubular handle of the plunger to hold the lens on the plunger and then by squeezing the handle force air to release the lens into the eye. One problem with this technique is that the cup supporting the scleral lens can move laterally disturbing the insertion, as you squeeze the base. Also, each of these methods has the fundamental problem of requiring one hand to hold the lens steady and one hand to hold the eyelids open. They all also interfere with a clear view to a mirror due to how the lens is being supported by the hand and fingers. Also, any flinching of either the eyelids or fingertips can result in the lens being dropped, damaged and even lost. The lens must then be retrieved, cleaned, add saline solution again, and the procedure repeated. Another insertion tool of the prior art uses a plunger stand that is in the shape of an upside-down rounded cup made of an opaque material and having a large diameter base. The opaque material and large diameter base block a clear view to a mirror to see the axis of the lens and substantially prevents satisfactory mirror use to assist in the alignment of the lens to the eye. The rounded upper portion of the plunger base stand also will send an accidently falling lens off in a lateral direction possibly off the table to the floor making it difficult to retrieve. The present invention addresses the limitations of these current procedures and provides for a scleral lens to be inserted by a remote one-hand method or a hands-free method so that the eyelids may be held open using both hands while simultaneously providing a clear view to a mirror for optimal vision to align the scleral lens axis with the eye for its proper insertion. This significantly reduces the risk of flinching and dropping of the lens from an unstable fingertip or handheld insertion tool or similar device with view blocking fingers or a large base support.
The added patience and dexterity required to insert a scleral lens using these procedures of the prior art, can be uncomfortable for a user and may deter a user from choosing a scleral lens regardless of the added benefits of improved vision and greater durability. The LNSCUP™ lens aid and LNSAID™ System of the present invention provide safe and effective procedures for a user to much more quickly and easily insert a large diameter contact or large diameter scleral lens.